Sister Rosemary M. Wixom: 'Returning to Faith'

Sister Rosemary M. Wixom speaks during the Sunday morning session of the 185th Annual General Conference in the Conference Center on April 5, 2015. Photo: IRISister Rosemary M. Wixom speaks during the Sunday morning session of the 185th Annual General Conference in the Conference Center on April 5, 2015. Photo: IRISister Rosemary M. Wixom speaks during the Sunday morning session of the 185th Annual General Conference in the Conference Center on April 5, 2015. Photo: IRISister Rosemary M. Wixom speaks during the Sunday morning session of the 185th Annual General Conference in the Conference Center on April 5, 2015. Photo: IRISister Rosemary M. Wixom speaks during the Sunday morning session of the 185th Annual General Conference in the Conference Center on April 5, 2015. Photo: IRI

Updated

5 Apr 2015

10:45 am

“Like Primary children, every one of us can strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ on our individual journey and find joy,” said Sister Rosemary M. Wixom, Primary general president. In her Sunday morning general conference address, she spoke about one woman’s journey back to faith and activity in the Church.

This woman recounted in Relief Society how she had grown up in the Church, but her inquiring mind began asking questions that had increasingly difficult answers. These prompted even more questions that shook the foundations of her faith. Despite a support system from her bishop and ward members, she became less active.

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During this time, she read a book of Mother Teresa’s writings. Mother Teresa, too, experienced a period of doubt in a letter in which she wrote “there is such terrible darkness within me, as if everything was dead.”

In response, Archbishop Ferdinand Périer wrote, “God guides you, dear Mother; you are not so much in the dark as you think. The path to be followed may not always be clear at once.”

The woman in Relief Society said she thought if Mother Teresa could “live her religion without all the answers and without a feeling of clarity in all things, maybe she could too,” Sister Wixom said.

“Her first step to rebuild her faith was to start with basic gospel truths.” To do so, she purchased a Primary Children’s Songbook and read the words of the songs. She also continued to study the scriptures.

“Though she had questions about how the Book of Mormon came to be, she could not deny the truths she knew in the Book of Mormon,” Sister Wixom said. She had focused on studying the New Testament to learn about the Savior, but she loved what she felt when she read about Christ’s Atonement in the Book of Mormon.

Soon, this woman accepted a calling as the Primary pianist, which allowed her to strengthen her testimony of the truths she did know in a place she felt safe, Sister Wixom said.

Sister Wixom said that as she listened to the woman’s account of her journey, she “came to know more fervently that answers to our sincere questions come when we earnestly seek and when we live the commandments. I was reminded that our faith can reach beyond the limits of current reason.”